What the New York Yankees Can Learn from Super Bowl XLII

David Diehl can’t play tackle.

Eli Manning can’t be a leader.

Brandon Jacobs can’t carry the load.

Plaxico Burress can’t be a No. 1 receiver.

Amani Toomer is burnt out.

Michael Strahan has lost his desire to win. T

he team won’t get anywhere without Tiki Barber.

These are the things the media was saying at the start of the NFL season. In what was supposed to be a “rebuilding season” for the Giants, the Sporting News predicted that the Giants would finish with a 6-10 record at best and miss the playoffs.

And worst of all, the majority of the country believed every word of it. Who would’ve ever thought the so-called experts could be this wrong?

With this lesson in mind, it’s now time to look at the media’s “expertise” once again. The Yankees won’t make the playoffs without Santana. The Yankees don’t have enough pitching.

Hughes is overhyped. Cashman should’ve made the deal. I’m sure you’ve all heard this at some point.

And, going by the responses I’ve gotten on previous articles, it seems many of you think the Yankees don’t stand a chance without Santana. Well, I think history is bound to repeat itself.

You see, the thing that no one saw in the Giants is that their players were growing together over time. Rather than signing a big free agent, new GM Reese had the intelligence to sit back and let his team develop.

David Diehl went from a average guard to an above-average left tackle. Burress developed into a playmaker. Jacobs, along with his fellow running backs, formed a rushing attack that even Tiki couldn’t beat.

And best of all, Eli finally developed the confidence and respect he needed to win. I just can’t wait till players like Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, and Melky Cabrera do the same for New York’s baseball team.

Eli Manning’s leadership is “comical”. I believe that’s what Tiki Barber said at the beginning of this season. The G-men proved him wrong.

The Yankees will prove the rest of the world wrong in October.